
Taxi fares in Falkirk are set to increase in November after Falkirk Council's executive gave final approval following public and trade consultations.
The rise comes in response to soaring fuel prices driven by the ongoing war in the Middle East, alongside higher fees for local taxi driver and operator licences.
Out of eight responses received during the public consultation, five favoured the price rise while three opposed it.
Objectors warned that higher fares could deter passengers and hurt a struggling trade, with one objector writing: “While I agree that we need a price increase as many of us are working 60 plus hours for half the minimum wage, I feel at the time Uber is about to start in this area, thanks to your good selves, it would be another knife in the taxi trade.”
Councillor Gordon Forrest defended the change, noting that the last fare increase was four years ago and that the trade needs to remain sustainable.
He highlighted that drivers can choose not to apply the increase since the council sets a maximum fare rather than a minimum one.
The new tariff will add 20p to every journey, and the running mile will increase by seven per cent from £2.06 to £2.20.

North Yorkshire Police has issued a photograph of a man officers want to speak to about the incident at about 7pm on Sunday, September 6.

West Mercia Police teamed up with Worcestershire Regulatory Services and licensing officers from Wolverhampton City Council for the operation on the evening of Friday 25 September, to examine taxis and private hire vehic

Out of approximately 400 licensed vehicles in the borough, only 48 hackney carriages and private hire vehicles have had the safety cameras installed so far using funding from the community safety partnership.

Peter McFadden, a 55-year-old boxing coach and taxi driver from Norris Green, came to the attention of police on June 4 when he was pulled over for speeding along Croxteth Hall Lane. 

Mohammed Manir, 63, was spotted by enforcement officers driving in Crawshawbooth on March 17 who recognised that he had not held a hackney carriage driver licence for several years.

At around 1.20am, a stranger grabbed her from behind and touched her inappropriately before she managed to break away, get into the taxi, and leave the area with a female friend.

The proposed framework, which would run from 2027 to 2032 to replace rules introduced in 2009, introduces major changes to vehicle age limits to give proprietors more flexibility while encouraging greener travel.

Janice Johnstone, who relies on a wheelchair full-time, explained that spontaneous trips are impossible because she must book her transport days in advance.

Jamie Webb, who runs Hockley-based Eddies Cars, explained that his drivers have been repeatedly caught out by the airport's barrier-less drop-off zone. 

Ruckling Ramsay, 61, pretended to operate a private hire vehicle, he deceived the victim into getting into his car, highlighting the severe dangers associated with unbooked and bogus transport operators.

The governing body of the island - the Gran Canaria Cabildo - is progressing with the system following a coordination meeting involving taxi cooperatives and local police forces across the island.

The violent disorder erupted on Stoke Road in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, shortly before 2:50pm on Monday, September 28.

Nolan's Airport Transport, which operates in Bury, warned travellers of severe congestion in the drop-off and pick-up zone, with drivers facing queues of up to 45 minutes just to enter the terminal.

Nikolas Balog, 31, targeted the driver after getting into the vehicle with two other men from Bradford city centre on August 7 last year.

Ismail Ahmed, of no fixed abode, committed two robberies and five attempted robberies on May 9 and May 11 while on licence for previous robbery offences. 

The issue was raised during First Minister’s Questions on 22 September by Highlands and Islands MSP Morven-May MacCallum.

The price for using the rapid drop-off area has increased from £5 for 15 minutes to £8 for 10 minutes, and came into effect on 29 September.

A major multi-agency compliance operation took place at East Midlands Airport with 19 councils, DVSA, DVLA, HMRC, Leics Police, Uber UK, East Midlands Airport and insurance fraud specialists.

A new security system being developed in Gran Canaria will allow taxi panic buttons to connect directly with Local Police control rooms, giving officers live access to images and sound from inside vehicles during an emer

For years, “Google it” has been part of everyday language. But I increasingly wonder whether we are entering the age of “ChatGPT it”. 
